


Raising Hell

by WriterOfSorts



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:29:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29853969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterOfSorts/pseuds/WriterOfSorts
Summary: Not great with summaries, but this fic is going to start when Kara and Lena first meet with Clark Kent, and is going to stray away from the original plot of what takes place in Supergirl. Kara is still going to have her powers and will still be Supergirl, but it won't follow the plotline of the show.
Relationships: Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Querl Dox/Nia Nal, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Alex Danvers
Comments: 15
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Supergirl show or any of it's characters, all rights belong to the creators and developers of the show, as well as DC Comics. I'm just taking the characters for a spin.

Lena’s 10:00am meeting with Clark Kent and his cousin, Kara Danvers was nearing. She was standing near her balcony window, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face for the brief moment she’d pulled herself away from her paperwork. If Jess knew she had stepped away from her desk, she knew she’d be proud.

Jess was one of the only people who really saw how draining Lena could let her work become. She chalked it up to the amount of time they’d worked together, and how invested Jess was in her job, but a part of her was aware that Jess had more empathy than the people Lena usually let into her life. Her job had become the one way she could shut her mind off from the constant internal commentary.

“Miss Luthor,” Jess called out to her as she knocked lightly on the door.

“Yes, Jess?” Lena responded in a light tone, letting Jess know she was welcome to step into her office.

“Your 10 o’clock is here!” Jess confirmed.

“Let them in, please! Thank you, Jess.” She smiled.

She walked back around her desk, and stood behind it. She’d met Clark Kent before, and even thought him to be a good journalist, but she’d never met his cousin before. Lena wondered if his cousin would be as cookie-cutter perfect as he was, molded into the perfect societal idea of what a well rounded person should be.  
“Miss Luthor, thank you for seeing us!” Clark smiled at Lena as he entered the room, Kara at his heels.

“Of course! It’s always a pleasure to see you, Clark, and you must be Kara Danvers?” Lena looked over at the blonde woman standing shoulder to shoulder with Clark.

“Yes, it’s so nice to meet you, miss Luthor!” Kara squeaked out, extending her hand out to Lena in a show of the precise, polite greeting.

Lena shook her hand, trying to mask her surprise at the strength of the grip. The skin of Kara’s hands were soft, but the firmness in her grip almost hurt. The three of them sat down, and Lena wondered which of the cousins were going to speak first.

Surely enough, it was Clark. “So, miss Luthor, I heard you were renaming Luthor Corp?”

“Ah, yes. I was certain that’s what you were here about. I am rebranding. I’m changing the face of the corporation to L-Corp. I don’t want the company to be directly associated with the Luthor name anymore.” Lena clarified. 

“I assume this has to do with Lex Luthor’s history and him recently being put away?” Clark pressed.

“Yes, Mr. Kent. Lex may be my brother, but I do not condone, nor do I understand his choices.” Lena responded, a bit more sharply than she intended to.

Kara nervously cleared her throat before commenting. “I think what you’re doing is great, Miss Luthor. I know the public is rather critical of you, even though you’re not your brother. I hope this helps them see more of you for just yourself.” She began to ramble on.

“That’s awfully kind of you, Kara. Remind me again, where is it that you work? It’s not the Daily Planet, is it?” Lena asked her.

“No, that’s definitely more of Clark’s scene. I work with CatCo magazine.” Kara told her, playing anxiously with her fingers.

“Right, CatCO magazine. Don’t they usually do fluff pieces?” Lena asked, catching the judgement leave her mouth just a bit too late to stop it.

“Oh, um-” Kara started to respond, but Clark jumped in. 

“Can I quote you for the Daily Planet? I was hoping to get my piece out before other news bases get to it.” He asked, breaking up what he viewed as a potentially uncomfortable situation.

“That’s fine, Clark. I trust you to do me justice.” She forced herself to smile, feeling guilty as she spotted the hint of hurt in Kara’s eyes. She knew her comment had been unwarranted, and she wasn’t even entirely sure why she said it. Anything Lena had known about CatCo had been through seeing headlines about things she didn’t take much interest in, like celebrity gossip and the newest internet fads. 

She talked a bit more with Clark before she realized their time was up, and then she politely showed him and Kara out. A part of her had wanted Kara to stay back for a moment, so she could apologize and clear the air, but she wasn’t surprised when she didn’t. She watched her walk out, taking an extra note about how cute her light blue cardigan looked on her. She’d officially messed up her first interaction with Kara Danvers. 

Giving Jess a small nod as she returned back into her office, Lena let out a deep sigh. From a press perspective, the last thing she needed was another journalist on her bad side. She already had plenty of those lined up in National City. Personally, Lena felt sorry for hurting the woman who had been genuinely nice to her. It wasn’t often someone was nice to her without a catch.

She eyed the paperwork sitting in front of her, stacked neatly in perfect piles just as she liked it, but she knew she was too distracted to give it the attention it deserved. She pulled her laptop closer to her, and found herself typing Kara Danvers’ name into the search bar. There weren’t many results aside from a private Instagram page and a cover page for CatCo.

She decided to look into what the CatCo page said, and she found out that Kara was from Midvale. She also learned that Kara wrote pieces on the alien rights in National City, and could tell she took her job seriously. Lena felt even more stupid than the did before, knowing she hadn’t even asked Kara about her work personally.

Walking outside of her office, she turned to Jess at her desk. “Jess, could you do me a favor?”

“Yes! Of course, Miss Luthor! What do you need me to do?” Jess asked eagerly. 

“Could you have the flower shop downtown send a bunch of yellow tulips to Kara Danvers at CatCo magazine? I also have a note I’d like to add, if possible.” Lena asked, watching to make sure Jess didn’t forget even the littlest detail.


	2. The First Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kara's POV of the meeting with Clark and Lena :) 
> 
> From now on, I will specify whose point of view we are reading through, as it will change!

Kara had been surprised when Clark asked her to come along with him to meet with Lena Luthor. She knew about Clark’s history with Lex Luthor, and how quickly their relationship had fallen through once Lex had grown obsessed with taking Superman down. Lex had thankfully never identified Clark as Superman, and thought his friendship with him had just reached its end.

Clark didn’t suspect Lena of any ill intention, but kept an eye on her regardless. He knew she shared the intelligence of Lex, perhaps even exceeding his intelligence by some IQ points. He knew the intelligent mind was capable of destruction, he’d witnessed it first hand with Lex. Lex had taken away his ability to give Lena the benefit of the doubt.

Kara, on the other hand, wanted to make her own judgement of the Luthor woman. She didn’t think her family ties warrantied a bad opinion out of the gate, and it simply wasn’t her style to expect the worst out of people. The only thing she had to worry about now was picking what to wear to the meeting. 

“Hey, Alex? Have you seen my brown khaki pants?” Kara called out to her sister from her bedroom.

Alex poked her head in and laughed at the disheveled woman standing in front of the mirror. “No, but I assume it’s somewhere with your other five pairs of brown khaki pants.” 

“Not funny, Alex. Clark said I had to ‘dress to impress.’” Kara whined as she looked frantically through her closet. She only let out a deep breath once she settled on her favorite pair of pants.

“You always impress, Kara. You’re notably kind to everybody you meet.” Alex assured her, walking further into the room. “Clark just wants everything to go smoothly.” She added.

“I know he does, but really, the woman can’t be that bad.” Kara sighed.

“Everything will be fine.” Alex smiled.  
Clark insisted on driving on the way to the LuthorCorp building, trying to give Kara pointers about how to interact with Lena as if she was a child learning about manners for the first time. She allowed him to continue on, watching the city life outside of the car window as she tried her best to listen. She loved Clark, but she always felt as though he didn’t quite see her. He saw her as a responsibility more than anything else, even after he left her with the Danvers family.

The LuthorCorp building stood a bit taller than the other buildings surrounding it, a symbol of professionalism and potential. Kara felt herself grow nervous, and if her palms could sweat, she figured they would be. She knew Clark could hear her heartbeat, and he looked over to her with furrowed brows. 

“Just follow my lead, Kara.” Clark said to her. He, of course, carried himself with poise and confidence, used to the inner strength he felt from being Superman. Kara had yet to act out with any heroics, leaving the world without the knowledge of any other Kryptonian life. She kept her alien abilities as locked away as possible, while Clark used his for good. She didn’t think he’d want her to steal any spotlight, so she kept herself hidden away. 

Before she could calm herself down, she found she was introducing herself to Lena Luthor. The woman was undoubtedly beautiful, and Kara found herself admiring how gracefully Lena moved. When Lena spoke, it was as if there was a gravitational pull in her voice, captivating the attention of any listener. Kara had quickly forgotten the woman had any relation to the man who tried to kill her cousin. 

In the midst of her distraction, Kara was quickly called back to the present moment when Lena’s attention was back on her. She was being asked about her job, and all of the nerves from earlier came flooding back. She clarified that she worked for CatCo magazine, and any sense of security she had built up while being in her office quickly dissipated with one sentence from Lena. 

“Right, CatCO magazine. Don’t they usually do fluff pieces?” She saw Lena’s jaw stiffen upon the last word leaving her mouth, and the air in the room grew increasingly uncomfortable. 

Kara’s heart rate sped up, whether out of anger or anxiety, she couldn’t be sure. She wanted to jump in and defend her job, defend the work that she did, but Clark stepped in before anything could be said. She found herself tuning into the sound of Lena’s heartbeat while she spoke to Clark, and it thudded with similar intensity to Kara’s. She wasn’t quite sure what had set the woman off, but she kept her mouth shut. 

Before she knew it, her and Clark were leaving Lena’s office. She felt Lena’s gaze burning into the back of her, but she wouldn’t let herself turn around. She’d been taken aback by the judgement she faced from Lena, and didn’t know how to defend herself without putting herself in the center of attention. It wasn’t a place that she thought she should be in. 

She shut the car door a bit harder than necessary, which for a Kryptonian meant that the glass of the window formed a webbed crack right along the side. “Shoot! I’m sorry, Clark.” She gasped when she saw the damage.

“It’s not the first time, Kara, trust me.” He comforted her. “She got under your skin, huh?”

“I don’t even know why. I’m not always this sensitive. It was just the way she said it.” Kara mumbled.

“That’s the Luthors, for you. They’re maddeningly hard to ignore.” Clark sighed, resting his hands on the steering wheel. “Let’s get you back home to Alex.” 

They didn’t speak on the ride back to her apartment, but the silence was filled with understanding. One thing Clark and Kara shared in common was their need to process things internally. Both of them found that sometimes, communicating their frustrations aloud complicated things. The barrier between Kryptonian understanding and Earth understanding sometimes made matters worse. 

“So, how did it go?” Alex asked her as she walked through the front door.

Kara groaned as she plopped herself onto the couch. “That bad, huh?” Alex questioned.

“Do you think my job is important?” Kara asked Alex, turning her head so she could look at her sister.

“What do you mean? Of course I do. Where did this come from?” Alex asked worriedly.

“Nothing, it’s nothing. I just… I wonder if I’m supposed to do more. If I’m supposed to be more.” Kara curled up into herself a bit as she spoke.

“What are you talking about, Kara? You’re plenty as you are.” Alex put her arm around Kara’s shoulder and pulled her closer.

“I’m not human, Alex. I have these abilities, these amazing abilities, and I’m doing nothing with them. Clark goes out and does brilliant things for others, he’s a beacon of hope.” Kara continued.

“Kara, nothing about you has to change for you to fill others with hope. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it hadn’t been for you being by my side all of these years. You make everyone’s lives better just by being in it.” Alex explained as she wiped Kara’s cheeks dry.

They spent the rest of the night on the couch watching The Breakfast Club, one of Kara’s favorite movies. Alex had always been good at knowing what Kara needed. There was an unspoken understanding between the two of them that had come with growing up together, and it was one of the many reasons Kara was grateful that Clark had chosen the Danvers family for her.

Kara woke up later than she meant to, with Alex slumped over on her arm drooling. She was left with only 10 minutes to get ready for work, and she found herself extra grateful for her super speed. Before leaving the apartment, she straightened out her pastel pink button-up shirt, and turned the coffee pot on for Alex.

Unsurprisingly, Snapper was in a bad mood from the moment Kara got to work. He called her right to his office before she could even reach her desk, and insisted she submit her work faster. “Listen, Blondey, you’re not my only writer, okay? I need more from you. The sooner you turn in your work, the sooner I can read it, and the more time I have to go through other people’s work.”

“Okay, I’ll have three pieces for you by the end of the week.” Kara said, biting her tongue. 

“Make it four. Also, there are flowers waiting for you at your desk. An ugly yellow, if you ask me.” Snapper rolled his eyes. 

Surely enough, when she sat down at her desk, she was met with a bunch of yellow tulips. She picked them up curiously, and a note fell out of the middle of them. Scrawled across the front of the envelope was Kara’s name in elegant handwriting. She carefully opened the envelope, pulling out the simple blue card.

“Kara, I read your recent piece on the statistics of violence against aliens in National City and was very impressed. I would like to hear more about your findings, if you will come to my office for coffee sometime this week. Below is my direct number, and I hope to hear from you soon. - L.L.”

Kara felt her breath was caught in her throat, and didn’t know what to think. Lena Luthor was a mystery to her. The same woman who had made her question her job had sent her a bunch of tulips just to deliver her with a note that very well could have been emailed. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but she knew it wasn’t terrible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena's POV as things progress

A week passed and Lena heard nothing from Kara Danvers. She started to lose hope that she’d see the Danvers woman again, but she still found herself perking up every time Jess knocked on her door to deliver a message. Clark’s article had already dropped, and as she suspected, it was professionally polite and didn’t paint her in a light that was either good nor bad. She briefly wondered if Kara had read it, and whether or not she agreed with what her cousin had said. She figured Clark wasn't oblivious enough to have noticed the way Lena had upset Kara, and pondered at the possibility that Clark had filled Kara in on just how messed up Lex and the Luthor family had been. 

She knew that her reputation wasn’t great, and that wasn’t just true for National City. Her brother’s paranoia and dangerous technology had brought pain and fear for many people, and sharing the family name with him was enough to put distaste in the mouths of others. When people weren’t shouting at her in the streets, they were giving her looks ranging from skepticism to disgust. She found responses like that just about anywhere she went. It was hard to find a place that Lex hadn't touched with his poisonous ways. The way she was treated publicly was very different in comparison to her childhood.

Growing up in the Luthor household had brought vast attention from kids in her boarding schools, and she was used to being in the public eye. Nothing she ever did was kept secret very long. The media would talk about her fencing matches, her science fairs, her chess tournaments, and whatever else they could dig up. The Luthor reputation hadn’t yet been stained by Lex, and the people in Metropolis still loved to talk about the Luthor name. The public, of course, didn’t know that Lena was Lionel’s bastard child, and they didn’t know just how much the Luthor family had buried away. As far as Metropolis was concerned, the Luthor family was always finding new ways to be brilliant. 

“Miss Luthor?” Jess said as she knocked on Lena’s office door.

Lena was pulled out of her passing thoughts, and she stood up out of her chair. “Yes, Jess?” She answered.

Jess opened the door, revealing Kara Danvers standing behind her. “I told her that appointments have to be scheduled, but she insisted on speaking with you now.” Jess explained apologetically. She really did try to do everything by the books.

“It’s alright, Jess, thank you. Miss Danvers, come in.” She gestured, and Jess closed the door with a nod on her way out. 

“Miss Danvers, I wasn’t expecting to see you.” Lena admitted, trying to keep her exterior as calm as possible. She couldn’t get a read on the woman standing in front of her. 

“I’m sorry for not calling- honestly, I hadn’t planned on coming here today.” Kara said, looking anywhere but at Lena. It was clear that she was just as nervous.

“Well, you’re welcome to have a seat on the couch,” Lena said, gesturing to it. “Would you like a coffee or tea?” She asked.

“Water would be nice, if you have any.” Kara gave Lena a polite smile, and Lena felt her chest tighten. 

Lena walked over to her mini fridge, pulling out two waters, and then she sat on the opposite end of her couch. She watched as Kara sipped her water carefully, and could feel the nerves coming off of the blonde woman. She wasn't sure if it helped to know that Kara was anxious, or if that made matters worse.

“I owe you an apology. I was out of line about CatCo magazine, truly.” Lena said, trying to break the tension. She knew she had to start the conversation somehow, and she didn’t want Kara to feel like she’d come here for no reason.

“Your flowers were very nice. Although, normally white tulips are the tulips that symbolize apology.” Kara said, laughing playfully. 

“I considered the white tulips, but the yellow ones made me think of you.” Lena said, her face freezing as she realized what she’d said. She started to panic internally, thinking she’d overstepped once more. 

Kara gave her a curious look before responding, “I know CatCo has a reputation for their celebrity gossip and fluff pieces. Not many people look beyond that. When I started there as a writer, I was just grateful that Cat Grant had taken a chance on me. She let me focus on the things that mattered to me, she said that my passion was a breath of fresh air in the workplace.” Kara explained, reflecting fondly on the memory.

“Cat Grant is a hard woman to please, Miss Danvers. You must have made quite the impression on her.” Lena replied, raising her eyebrows slightly. Lena wasn’t surprised, given that Kara was the epitome of a breathing sunshine. 

“My friend James got me the interview with her when I moved to National City. He’s an old friend of Clark’s, and he knew I had interest in journalism. I didn't have much work experience prior, honestly, so I think he really bent over backwards to get me in there.” Kara shared with Lena. Lena actually knew of James Olsen, as he was one of National City’s most well known photographers.

“Mr. Olsen has actually taken some of the best photos of my events over the years.” Lena informed Kara. What she didn’t mention was her contempt for the man’s arrogance. He reminded her of the many men she’d had to deal with in the workplace, never accepting that they could do any wrong. She didn't much care to interact with him, but still had to admit that his photos were breathtaking. 

Kara smiled before she spoke, “I actually brought some of my write ups on the statistics I wrote about in my piece for CatCo, if you would like to see them. You mentioned it in your card.” 

“Yes, of course! I’ve actually been considering ways that L-Corp could help give back to the community. My brother made it very hard not to associate the Luthor name with being xenophobic towards aliens, and I want that to change. I want people to know that I do not share in his views.” Lena said, feeling herself grow sad at the thought of the damage her brother had done.

Kara shifted awkwardly before looking at Lena, “if it’s any consultation, I don’t perceive you to be anything like your brother.” Lena felt herself soothed by Kara’s words. 

Lena and Kara spent the next hour going over the statistics Kara had discovered, Lena finding herself entranced by how smart Kara Danvers really was. Lena found that the more passionate Kara grew while she was talking, the less she seemed to question or doubt herself. She started to see the similarities to Clark’s confidence, unlike she had the first time she met Kara. They’d fallen into comfortable conversation, sharing information with one another and building off of each other's thoughts. They were only interrupted when Jess came to remind Lena that she was due to check in with her science team on their new prototype. Lena found that she was disappointed to stop talking to Kara, but she didn’t want that to become obvious. 

“Thank you for coming by, miss Danvers. I really enjoyed talking with you.” Lena said, finding the words were difficult to find. 

“You can call me Kara,” Kara smiled at her, making Lena’s chest tight all over again.

“If we’re dropping formalities, you can call me Lena.” Lena responded with a fluttering laugh, holding her office door open for Kara to leave.

“We’ll have to talk again soon.” Kara said as she walked out of the room, turning to face Lena one last time.

“We do.” Lena agreed, before watching Kara leave her office, mentally noting that Kara had a different blue shirt on today. Blue looked good on her.

Lena’s meeting with her science team was dull, but went by quicker than she had expected. They’d been perfecting a prototype for one of National City’s hospitals, something that would make it easier for surgeons to spot barriers more clearly before conducting surgeries. She wanted to help lower the risk rate for patients. Lena prided herself on her knowledge of science, wanting less to do with building the technology than her brother had. She felt more at ease letting other people build the technology, so long as she could test it and fix the errors.

The rest of the evening she thought about Kara Danvers and her irritatingly sweet smile. She saw nothing fake behind the smiles Kara had shared with her, and it was new to her. Most of her life, Lena had only shared smiles with people over business deals and meetings, the smiles stiff and meaningless. The way Kara Danvers smiled at her made her crave her warmth. She wanted more of the intoxicating comfort that Kara radiated.

Without knocking, Jess came bolting into Lena’s office. “Miss Luthor, I’m so sorry to come in like this, I just had to tell you,” Jess rambled, uncharacteristically flustered.

“Jess, breathe. What is it?” Lena said, hesitating to put her hands on the woman’s shoulders.

“Your mother called.”


	4. The Other Luthor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kara's POV this chapter  
> *some violence towards the end of this chapter, as well

Kara was sitting on the couch with Alex when she received the news; Lex Luthor had broken out of prison. Strangely, her first instinct was to call Lena, instead of Clark. She ended up talking herself out of it, assuming Lena was probably stressed enough as it was. All Kara could do was hope that Lena was safe.

She didn’t think herself to be in danger, as she hadn’t exposed that there was a Kryptonian in National City. Kara thought, if anything, that maybe everyone was safer for it. She knew Kryptonian life would put a target on National City’s back with Lex Luthor out. With Alex working for the DEO, Kara had more insight into the other alien life in their city, as well as what places were at higher risk. She tried to trust that Alex and the other agents would have things handled. 

The DEO didn’t know Kara was Kryptonian, either. As much as Alex valued her job, she’d made a promise to Kara to keep her identity a secret. As far as the DEO was concerned, Kara was just Alex’s less intense journalist sister. She had never been inside, but would sometimes listen to the conversations that took place inside. One of her favorite people to listen to was Winn Schott, one of the tech workers with a sense of humor. Kara could tell that he drove everyone there nuts sometimes, but that they were all fond of him regardless.

It was Kara’s day off from work, but she wasn’t feeling up to leaving her apartment. She felt that she deserved a break after Snapper had pushed her limits this week. Instead, she sat by the window and listened to everything taking place outside. She took in the different sounds, hearing children’s laughter, couples quarrels, dogs barking, and cars running. She mentally gave each noise a different story, imagining everything as if it were a television show. As she listened, she decided to pick out Lena’s voice from the rest. If she couldn’t call her, she figured this would be the second best option. 

When she identified Lena’s voice, she picked up on a heated discussion. Lena was clearly talking to someone, but Kara had never heard the other voice before. 

“Don’t try and tell me you had nothing to do with this!” Lena snapped.

“We both know he wasn’t supposed to be in there, Lena.” The other voice snarled back.

“I don’t know who you think ‘we’ is, Lillian. He deserved everything he got.” Lena responded, giving a name to the woman.

“You might find that he doesn’t appreciate what you did, Lena. Maybe you deserve everything coming your way now.” Lillian said, slight malice in her voice.

“Let him try.” Lena snarked. 

Kara deduced that they were discussing Lex’s escape, and she felt nerves growing in the pit of her stomach. She recalled the news leading up to Lex’s imprisonment, how Lena was silent up until he was convicted. She didn’t know what Lena had said or done privately, but it was clear that whatever it was drove a wedge between the siblings. Kara decided she had to get to Lex before he could get to Lena. 

Kara tore through her closet, finding anything that would give her enough coverage to hide her identity. She picked out black athletic pants, a grey hoodie, and a blue thermal face mask that belonged to Alex. She flipped the hood of her sweatshirt up to cover her hair, and opened her apartment window. Without any rational thought, she jumped, shooting herself straight into the sky. 

It had been a couple of years since she’d flown, but she fell back into the feeling naturally. She started scanning the city below her, trying to stay near the clouds. She couldn’t even think of where Lex may go, and had zero idea of what his plans were. She ended up going to the prison Lex had been in, conducting more searches in their surrounding areas. She was thankful that she could make quick work of it, but she grew more frustrated as she ran out of ideas. 

It finally occurred to her that Lex could have headed back to Metropolis, the place he had been most familiar with. Kara felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, and with a quick glance, saw that it was Alex. She put it back in her pocket, and let it go to voicemail. Alex would undoubtedly be upset with her later, but Lex posed the greater threat. She hoped Alex would understand her motivation, especially since she ran into danger every day for her own job.

Thankfully, she remembered the sound of Lex’s voice from the news footage of his trial. It gave her something to look out for out of the noise in Metropolis. The city setting made it harder to strain through, picking out distinct voices from the masses of people who lived down below. As she flew around the outskirts of the city, she ended up recognizing the Luthor mansion sitting on a large plot of land. She lowered herself slowly to the ground, dropping herself just a few feet away from the back of the building. 

As she listened in, she heard crashing noises come from inside. Kara located the back door, and tore the doorknob out to get inside. It was starting to become more clear that she’d come here without a plan, but she reminded herself that everyone would be safer if she could stop Lex before he could do any more wrong. Her cousin had taken him down several times, and she just had to be hopeful that she could, too.

Kara walked down to the basement, the source of the noise growing louder as she neared. She found Lex destroying a set of computers, smashing them onto the floor one by one. He stopped almost exactly when Kara did, turning slowly to look at her. It was as if he’d sensed her presence.

“Well, well. Who do we have here?” He smirked.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re coming with me.” Kara said, stepping closer.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.” Lex laughed, and Kara noticed he was holding a control in his hand. “You see, Superman isn’t as clever as he’d like to think. He may have forgotten that he mentioned that he had a dear cousin while intoxicated with Kryptonite. You think I didn’t anticipate this? You were exactly what I'd hoped for.” 

Kara’s heart dropped, suddenly feeling powerless standing in front of Lex. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She lied. 

Lex closed his hand around the button, an exo suit forming around him almost instantly. He charged at Kara, grabbing her and bringing them both up through the roof and into the sky. She kicked her feet off of him, sending him flying backwards, and flew at him trying to find a weak spot in his suit. She wanted to keep the fight contained, noting that there were houses down below them.

Lex pressed something on the side of his suit, and a green glow formed in the middle of the suit’s chest. Kara immediately knew what it was, and hesitated from her spot in the sky. In her frozen moment, Lex sent a beam of Kryptonite shooting directly at her. It hit her in the stomach and she felt the sickening burn crawl along her skin. She felt woozy, but didn’t want him to get away. With her vision slightly blurred, she flew back at him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She sent them both flying directly down at his lawn, driving them both into a newly formed pit in the ground.

The proximity to the suit made her weaker, the contact with the Kryptonite making her black out as they hit the ground. The last thing she felt was Lex’s metal fist punching into her chest, and she could feel three of her ribs crack under the pressure. As her eyes closed, she heard Lex take back off into the sky, disappearing out of sight. She was down for a half an hour, unconscious in the dirt, not even dreaming as she laid there. 

“Kara! Please, Kara wake up.” Kara felt someone shaking her shoulders, pulling her back into consciousness.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” Alex yelled at her, kneeling next to her in the pit.

“He got away. You need to get him.” Kara mumbled, wincing when she felt the pain return in her ribs.

“I don’t care right now, Kara, what were you thinking?!” Alex yelled again. Kara could make out the slight crack in her voice, letting her know that her sister had been crying.

“I’m sorry. Was trying to help.” Kara breathed out, her eyes still failing to adjust to her surroundings. She could see figures above the pit, making their way down to her. Kara realized that the DEO had come to get her along with her sister, and she knew she’d just blown her cover.

One of the agents signaled to Alex that they needed to go, and he helped Alex to pick her up. They carried Kara into the back of one of their medical trucks, and Kara felt herself falling asleep again. She wondered if this is what Clark had felt like every time he went up against Lex, or if he’d been smarter. The last thing she heard was Alex’s voice.

“What have you done?”


	5. A Kryptonian in National City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena's POV this chapter

“Impossible.” Lena whispered, staring at the television. She was on the edge of the couch cushion, watching footage of her brother shooting a new Kryptonian through a Kryptonite beam in his suit. The Kryptonian was no doubt a woman, but no part of her face was visible. When the fight hit the ground, it was clear only the Kryptonian stayed down. Her brother rose back into the sky, and flew himself out of sight. The suit Lex had designed was one that Lena was familiar with. Lex had toyed around with the idea of creating an exo suit (he deemed his design the Lexosuit) more than once. 

Lena heard a knock at her penthouse door and froze. She knew Lex would inevitably come searching for her, and knew what rage she might be met with. Lena had installed a biometric system in her door in place of a lock, and watched as smoke started to form around the door handle. Her anxiety bubbled up, but she remained in place. Any instinct to run had left. The door swung open, and three agents dressed in black stepped into her living room. 

“Sorry about the door, but you weren’t answering.” The middle agent said.

“Who are you and what are you doing in my home?!” Lena cried out, standing up straight. Her anxiety had now mixed with anger, and she felt herself shaking.

“We need you to come with us.” One of them said firmly.

“Absolutely not.” Lena shook her head. She thought these people must be crazy if they assumed she would leave at a time like this.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t optional.” The middle one sighed. Agents Vasquez and Demos both grabbed one of Lena’s arms, and led her downstairs to the car. Lena protested at first, but knew she was overpowered by the three agents surrounding her. She was grateful, at least, that it hadn’t been Lex. 

Once they got into the back of the car, an agent spoke first. “I apologize for intruding, Miss Luthor, but it is very important that you come back to our base with us. Certainly you know your brother has escaped prison and has since had an encounter with an alien-”

“A Kryptonian, yes.” Lena interrupted.

“Yes, a Kryptonian. We have the Kryptonian back in our labs but the Kryptonite your brother struck her with wasn’t pure. It has affected her system differently and she isn’t waking up.” The agent said, trying to hold her emotions back. Lena could tell this situation was personal for her.

“So, you need my help?” Lena asked. “What makes you think I know anything about Kryptonite?”

“With all due respect, Miss Luthor, you are Lex’s sister. Even if you do not share the same views, you lived and worked beside him for years. It would be foolish to assume you knew nothing.” The agent stared at her. "And quite frankly, we don't have any other options."

“What happened to this being for my protection?” Lena scoffed.

“You’ll be a lot safer with us than you were at home.” Agent Vasquez chimed in. Lena saw no use in denying that, given that it was true.

“I assume you’re from the D.E.O?” Lena questioned.

“How do you? Right. You’re Lena Luthor.” Vasquez murmured. 

The rest of the ride was brief, but quiet. Lena thought about Lex and how he still managed to bring pain to her life all of these years later. She’d thought moving to National City would be as close to a new start as possible, with Lex finally being in prison and her fully taking over LCorp. She knew she deserved that much, at least. Her entire life had been plagued by the Luthors in different ways, and here she was fighting one of their mistakes again.

The D.E.O. was less intense inside than she had been expecting. There were agents and scientists scattered around, each involved in their own tasks. She walked near the agents, following their lead throughout the building. She could tell the air around them was tense.

“Right through here,” An agent gestured, asking Lena to step into the lab.

Lena took a deep breath before entering the room, turning her focus to the bed that the Kryptonian was laying on. She instantly recognized the body laying there unconscious. “Kara?” she gasped. Her mouth went dry, and she thought she might be seeing things.

“Wait-” The agent yelled.

Lena ran up to the bed, getting a closer look at the woman in front of her. Kara had bruises on various visible parts of her body, and Lena could only assume there were more hidden underneath her clothes. She felt her throat tightening as she looked at the battered being in front of her, and guilt washed over her for what her brother had done.

“Kara,” Lena said again softly. She could tell she was crying, but couldn't bring herself to try and stop it.

“Miss Luthor, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This Kryptonian is not named Kara.” The agent said quickly.

“Agent, this is Kara Danvers. I know her. She may look...different here, under these lights, but this is Kara Danvers.” Lena said harshly.   
The agent felt her jaw tighten, and a man came in and put his hand on her shoulder. “Alex, it’s okay. Her intentions are pure.” He said. Lena looked at the man strangely for a moment, wondering why he seemed so sure of himself.

“J’onn, no one was supposed to know.” Alex said, her tears finally falling free.

“Wait- Alex? Kara’s sister?” Lena asked, her face twisting into realization.

“Miss Luthor, I must ask that none of what you see here leaves with you.” J’onn insisted. The man had kind eyes, but the intensity in his voice made it clear that this wasn’t a request.

“Of course, I-” Lena started “I need to see her charts.” She added, remembering that Kara needed her help.

“Certainly.” J’onn responded, pulling Alex outside momentarily to speak with her alone. Lena took the opportunity to try and process what was happening. The sweet, dedicated journalist she had befriended was a secret Kryptonian. Lena had thought Superman was the only one, but now her new friend was unconscious in front of her because of a secret she held. 

Lena couldn’t figure out why Kara would have chosen now to show her Kryptonian nature. She thought, if anything, Superman would be the one to show up and put Lex back in his place. She felt herself growing irritated with Kara, wondering why she went in alone. Kara had to have known it wasn’t Lex’s first time fighting a Kryptonian. 

“You have that look in your eye.” Lena heard from behind her. 

“You’re wondering why she did it.” Alex exhaled. “If I had the answer, I’d tell you. She wasn’t supposed to become like Clark. She was supposed to be an ordinary journalist.”

“Nothing about Kara is ordinary.” Lena found herself saying, keeping her gaze on Kara’s bruised face.

“You’re right, she never was, but a part of me wanted her to be. A part of me wanted her to be my younger sister who stayed out of trouble and let me fight the bad guys.” Alex admitted. “She’s so much stronger than I’ll ever be, she’s got these powers I’ll never fully understand, and yet… I worry about her. Constantly.”

Lena thought to herself for a moment, taking in everything Alex was saying. “It would be easier, yes. But this is your reality now. Kara’s need to protect drove her to this.” She finally said. 

Alex brought over Kara’s chart, sitting down in one of the chairs next to the bed. She explained the sunbed to Lena, slightly grateful that the conversation was simple given Lena’s preexisting knowledge of Kryptonian biology. They spent two hours discussing what was happening in Kara’s body, figuring out what Lex had done to alter the Kryptonite. Its synthetic makeup was making it harder for the sunbed to fix the damage Kara had sustained from the blasts. Lena concluded that she would have to create an antidote of sorts, to combat the differences in the Kryptonite and allow the sunrays to do their job.  
“How long do you think it’ll be?” Alex asked.

“The antidote should only take an hour for me to create, at most. If you’d like to help, maybe it’ll be closer to a half an hour.” Lena offered.

“I’m in.” Alex smiled.


	6. It Takes Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kara's POV this chapter :)

When Kara woke up, she was in a sterile-smelling room underneath a bright light machine giving her the same photonucleic response that the Earth’s yellow sun does. She sat up, and looked around her, not remembering ending up here. In the corner, Lena Luthor was curled up in a chair, with papers littering her lap. Kara walked over to her carefully, placing her hand on Lena’s shoulder.

“Lena?” Kara whispered.

Lena jumped, sitting upright immediately. “Goodness, Kara! What are you doing up?!” She shouted hurriedly. She tried to push Kara back towards the sunbed, when Alex walked in. 

“Kara?” Alex said quietly, her eyes filling with tears. She pulled Kara into a tight hug, one that probably would have hurt if Kara were human.

“I’m sorry.” Kara said in Alex’s hair. She truly did feel bad for the stress she had put Alex through, and from the looks of it, Lena had been feeling the same way. Her eyes were heavy with the pull of sleep, and she looked half out of it. 

“God, why did you have to be so stupid? Do you have any idea how upset the D.E.O. is right now?” Alex said, pulling back, hitting Kara on her arm. 

“I know, Alex. I really am sorry. I had to at least try. I wasn’t thinking.” Kara mumbled out, running her hand through her hair. 

“How do you feel?” Lena said, stepping closer. She looked worried as she scanned Kara from top to bottom. 

“I feel good. How long was I out for?” Kara asked. She couldn’t even tell what time of day it was from this room, as there wasn’t even a clock in sight.

“Just about 3 days.” Alex answered. 

“Three DAYS?” Kara raised her voice. “What about work? Snapper is going to fire me, Alex.” 

“About that… he did. He called, and he didn’t want to hear any of my explanations. I tried to get him to listen, but he wouldn’t.” Alex apologized.   
Kara sat down on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hands. She couldn’t process everything that was happening to her, and she knew it was her fault. She had taken a risk, one that she hadn’t even calculated, and now everything that she had built was crumbling in front of her. Not only did she make her own life harder, but she complicated her sister’s job.

“You should thank Lena, by the way. She’s the reason you’re up and moving.” Alex nudged her.

Kara looked up, and Lena had a coy smile on her face “You saved me?” Kara asked lightly.

“It wasn’t just me- Alex helped. I helped make an antidote for you. The Kryptonite wasn’t pure, Lex was experimenting with it.” Lena explained. Kara got out of bed again, and wrapped her arms around Lena. She was careful not to squeeze too tightly, and she found herself undeniably comfortable wrapped around Lena.

Lena didn’t pull away, and instead let herself settle into the embrace. She put her own arms around Kara’s torso, and let Kara thank her. “You are incredible, Lena Luthor.” Kara smiled. She finally pulled away, and saw Lena’s flushed face. Kara was sure that even with her alien biology, her face was the same shade. 

“Agent Danvers, we have an update.” Winn said from the doorway. His expression looked torn between frantic and irritated. 

“What is it?” Alex asked, making it known that she wasn’t leaving the room. 

“We got a trace on Lex Luthor. He’s back in National City.” He said, trying not to make eye contact with Lena. Kara’s stomach dropped, and she remembered the feeling of the Kryptonite blast. The burn was most memorable next to the disorienting effect it had.

“Alex-” Kara started to stay. She was tempted to go back out there, to prove that she could bring him down like her cousin had done many times over.

“No. No way.” Alex looked at her in disbelief.

“But you’re here this time, your team is here. You can help me.” Kara reminded her.

“Kara, you just woke up.” Lena chimed in hesitantly, but her concern was genuine. 

“I’m going to do this, with or without your support.” Kara decided, and she knew that she was putting Alex in a tough position, but her determination had won over. She walked out of the room, carrying herself with more confidence than she ever had before.

Alex followed her out, and gave a pointed look to Winn. “Winn, show Kara to the gear room please. Make sure she’s wearing enough to hide her identity, but make it practical.” Kara turned around and looked to Alex, who gave a brief nod.

As Winn showed her the way, she overheard Alex ask Lena to stay in the lab area in case anything went wrong on the mission. Kara knew she had to approach Lex better than she had before, she felt like it wasn’t an option to fail. She had Alex and Lena counting her, but she also felt the weight of National City’s safety on her shoulders. She knew National City was waiting for the mystery Kryptonian to jump back in, and persist just as her cousin had. Kara looked up to Kal-El, and he was the last piece of family lineage she had left.

“Can I just say, I am so excited to be meeting you right now.” Winn said excitedly. 

“Winn Schott, nice to officially meet you!” Kara responded, holding her hand out for him to shake. He took it quickly, and shook it as if she was a celebrity. Kara found herself laughing at the one happy moment in the midst of troubling ones she was about to face.

“So, here, we mostly have a lot of black tactical wear. I suggest the pants along with the zip up shirt, the helmet with the mask and goggles, and the combat boots. It will be a lot, but we’re going for coverage so it will have to do.” Winn explained as he showed her through the gear.

Winn stepped out so Kara could dress in the room. She looked at her healed skin, grateful for Lena’s science skills, and wondered if she was making the right decision. Deep down inside, she knew that the D.E.O. stood a much better chance with her at their disposal, but she still feared failure. The possibility of Lex killing her was still very much real, and she knew that was something she had to accept.

Kara and Winn walked back into the main area of the D.E.O. to meet with Alex, and she felt everyone’s eyes fall on her. She found Lena’s eyes, and Lena looked down, knowing she had been caught staring along with the crowd. “Wow, Kar. You look badass.” Alex laughed.

“Well, Winn picked it all out.” She blushed, and Winn did the exact same when Kara acknowledged him again. Alex gave him a teasing punch to the arm, and he walked back over to his computer.

Lena took the opportunity to come over to Kara, and she looked like she was deep in thought. "Kara, please, be careful. I know you can handle yourself, but... please." She said, holding her hands on Kara's shoulders. Kara pulled her into their second hug, and rubbed Lena's back reassuringly. Lena only broke the hug apart to say one more thing, "Raise Hell, Kara."

“We have to get moving. Agent Vasquez will drive you and I to the location with a team trailing right behind us.” Alex filled her in as they walked out to the vehicle. Kara nodded, taking in the information as she slid into the back seat with Alex following suit. 

On the way there, Alex was giving her tips and ideas on how to get Lex down to the ground where the D.E.O. agents would have a better chance of helping. Kara knew her sister was taking a leap of faith by trusting her on this one, so she grabbed her hand and held it in hers the rest of the way to the center of National City.

When they arrived, Alex let Kara exit the vehicle first. “You’re up, superhero.” Alex said as she forced herself to smile. “Come back to me, okay?” She added. 

“Always.” Kara nodded. She shot herself up into the air, keeping her eyes on Lex flying dormant in his Lexo Suit. She kept herself at a reasonable distance, all while making her presence known to him.

“Come back for more, did we?” Lex asked. His smirk was sickening, and he didn’t show any sign of fear.

“I came to finish what I started.” Kara snapped. She saw him chuckle, but didn’t satisfy him any further. She flew towards him, landing a punch right to the center of his suit in an attempt to crack it. Lex was sent flying backwards, but the suit didn’t even dent. She felt her confidence waver slightly, but she tried to remember her sister standing down below. Before she could make another move, she was distracted.

“You didn’t think to invite me?” Kara heard from behind her. She turned around, and her cousin was flashing a smile at her. “Let’s do this together.”


	7. Suit Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lena's POV this chapter

Lena’s heartbeat had been ringing in her ears since Kara left. Recent memories of Kara lying unconscious in the sunbed flashed through her mind, and she let herself be momentarily consumed by her fears. She looked around the lobby of the D.E.O. and saw the man who had been identified as Winn staring at the monitor in front of him.

Lena walked over to him, and stood behind him nervously “Could I watch with you?” She asked.

“Oh, of course. Look right here,” Winn pointed on the screen “Superman just showed up.” Lena exhaled with relief, knowing her brother stood much less of a chance with the two Kryptonians together. She studied the infamous Lexo-Suit her brother wore, and was surprised to find that a lot of the details aligned perfectly with his original idea. There were no visible flaws from what she could see, and she sighed.

Lena did her best to remember the blueprints Lex had shown her years ago. She knew the wiring was covered by the metal exterior he’d added to the suit, making it harder to get to. If Kara or Superman could get to the wiring, they’d have an advantage. Lena knew their best bet would be to get to the wiring in the front, around the chest plate where the Kryptonite was stored. 

“Winn, I have an idea,” Lena said “They need to get through the metal chest plate, to get to the wiring. They need to disconnect it. A system failure will make it nearly impossible for Lex to get an advantage.” 

Winn looked at Lena in awe before grabbing his headset and alerting Alex of Lena’s idea. Lena kept her focus on the screen in front of them, watching more closely to Kara. For someone who was new to the superhero act, Kara was the perfect vision of confidence. Though her face was hidden, Lena could imagine the focused stare of Kara behind the helmet she wore. She could see Superman flash a look to Kara, as if they were communicating telepathically. Lena knew this was the moment they were going to execute the plan. 

Superman gestured to his eyes, and with immediate understanding, Kara flipped her goggles up and shot blue beams directly to the center of Lex’s chest. Her heat vision tore through the metal seamlessly, and she carved out a square of the chest plate. Superman was flying toward Lex with his hand reaching out, and he grabbed a fist full of wires and yanked them from their ports. Lena could see a fleeting expression of fear cross over Lex’s face, and then he was falling. 

Kara caught Lex mid fall, and lowered him to the ground with ease. Lex looked surprised that the Kryptonian hadn’t let him fall. The D.E.O. team stood waiting, prepared with cuffs for Lex. Superman tore the remainder of Lex’s suit off, disassembling the rest of his advantage. Three agents grabbed Lex and tossed him in the back of the van, two agents hopping in the back with him to make sure he made it back to the prison. 

The feed cut out as the agents drove away, but Lena felt she could finally breathe again. “Lena, you did it!” Winn looked at her excitedly. 

“I didn’t do it- Kara and Superman did.” Lena corrected him.  
“But it was your idea that ended the fight before it could get messy. No one got hurt, and that was because of you.” Winn explained to her. Lena knew that was true, but she didn’t want to take any credit. 

“You can thank my science background for that.” Lena laughed lightly. She was waiting for Kara to come back. She knew she was safe, but she still needed to see it for herself. Lena never thought she’d be this nervous about a nearly indestructible being. 

As if on cue, Alex and Kara entered the lobby through the door. Alex looked much lighter than they had before they left, likely for the same reason Lena was- Kara was okay. Kara was smiling brighter than Lena had seen before. She knew Kara was in her element, protecting others and doing the right thing. 

“Kara, thank God.” Lena said, putting her hands on Kara’s upper arms. She was suddenly very aware of the muscle Kara had, and Lena blushed. She knew Kara was strong, but feeling it was completely different. 

Kara smiled down at her, pulling her into a side hug. “I’m okay, everything is okay.” Kara reminded her gently. “I came back to you.” She added. The comment washed over Lena like sunlight, filling her with comfort. 

Kara took Lena’s hand and led her back into the lab room, separating them from everyone else. “I heard you’re the one to thank for disabling the Lexo-Suit.” Kara said as she sat in one of the chairs in the corner of the room. Lena sat down in the one next to her before responding. 

“Lex used to run all of his ideas past me. I just used it to my advantage.” Lena explained. She hated admitting how close the two of them used to be, because it felt dirty now. Lex had become someone completely unrecognizable. 

“Well, you’re a superhero, Lena Luthor.” Kara smiled, putting her hand on top of Lena’s. Lena felt butterflies floor her stomach again. She knew she was developing feelings for the Kryptonian, and it terrified her. Lena felt as if the Kryptonian was impossibly out of her league, someone who was filled with impossible power and good down to the core. Lena was tainted, and she knew that. 

“What are you thinking about?” Kara asked her, head tilted slightly. She looked cuter than ever, and it made it harder for Lena to find an excuse.

“Clark Kent is Superman.” Lena blurted out.

“How did you-” Kara started to say.

“I connected the dots. I am a genius, after all.” Lena laughed. “Don’t worry, both secrets are safe with me.” She assured the Kryptonian.

“His name is Kal-El, his Kryptonian name, I mean.” Kara sighed. “He doesn’t typically use it anymore, but to me, he will always be Kal.” 

“It suits him.” Lena nodded “He looks like a Kal.”

“My given name is Kara Zor-El,” Kara told her, tears forming in her eyes “I haven’t said it in so long.”

It was Lena’s turn to squeeze Kara’s hand reassuringly. “Kara Zor-El,” she said, letting the name roll off her tongue “It’s beautiful.” She whispered.

“Thank you.” Kara said, and the words sounded heavy with appreciation. 

Alex walked in the room, not saying anything about Kara and Lena’s hands clasped together. “You know, we have more comfortable rooms here.” She laughed.

“I spent so much time in this one, it feels weird to be in any other.” Lena admitted, looking around the exceptionally sterile room. 

“Fair enough. Kara, Winn wants to show you something.” Alex notified her sister. Kara got up from her seat, offering her hand to Lena for her to follow along. Lena took her hand, looking up at Alex hoping she wouldn’t say anything. 

Alex led both of them out to Winn, and he looked like he was shaking with anticipation. “I started working on this a few days ago, and I just now finished. I hope you like it.” Winn held out a suit designed specifically for Kara. It was blue with a red skirt, with the same crest as Superman’s suit on the chest. 

“Winn, this is incredible! Thank you!” Kara wrapped the young man in a quick hug, squeezing him a bit too tight. Lena laughed as Winn tried not to cough from the lack of air in his lungs. They let Kara go change in one of the nearby rooms, as Winn explained the material he used to Alex. Lena was half tuned into their conversation, but her focus was held on waiting for Kara’s return. 

When Kara walked out, everyone stared. She looked more powerful than ever, with her hair loose and flowing down perfectly past her shoulders. Her demeanor had even changed, her stance strong and dominant. Kara looked breathtaking, and Lena couldn’t find any words to say aloud. Luckily, Alex took care of the problem. 

“You look good, Supergirl.”


	8. Hero in Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kara's POV this chapter

“Alex, is this really necessary?” Kara groaned as she followed her sister.

“Are you kidding? Of course it is! You can’t just become a superhero overnight!” Alex rolled her eyes. She had woken Kara up early this morning so that she could get in combat training at the D.E.O before her shift.

“I sort of already did.” Kara joked. She knew everyone was waiting to see more of the new Kryptonian, and it made her nervous. Kal had set the bar high and she didn’t want to let people down.

Alex gave her a playful shove and then showed her how to stand properly on the training mats. “Oh nono, I’m not going to fight you, Alex! I would hurt you!” Kara said stepping back. 

“I had J’onn install red sunlight lamps on the ceiling, to level the playing field. Trust me, I’ll be fine. You should worry about yourself.” Alex smirked. She swept Kara’s leg and pinned her to the mat, proving her point. “I’m a trained agent.” 

Kara spent the next hour training with Alex, repeatedly taking hits from every angle. Her sister was skilled in combat, more so than Kara had ever realized. Alex showed her proper form, defensive techniques, and taught her a couple of tricks to gain advantages. By the time Alex had to leave for her shift, Kara felt physically exhausted. 

“I’m going to have to sit in the direct sunlight to correct all of this bruising.” Kara huffed, pointing out the black and blue marks on her normally flawless skin. 

“Don’t be a baby, those bruises are hardly anything.” Alex teased her. In all honesty, Kara didn’t want to leave the D.E.O. She didn’t have anything to look forward to when she left. She’d been fired, Lena was working, and she had no other friends in National City. She was getting tired of her apartment, especially when there was no one else to spend time with her there.

“Could you go get some coffee for the agents?” Alex asked. Alex had seen Kara’s distant stare and knew her sister needed something to keep her mind occupied. “It looks like they might have had a late night last night, and sleeping agents aren’t helpful agents.”

“Oh, yes! I’ll head out now.” Kara smiled widely. She knew her sister was reaching for ways to help her out, but Kara also knew it was her fault she had been fired. She was aware of her tendency to be impulsive, but it had never screwed her over this badly until now.

“If possible, I would also like to request a donut!” Winn called over from his computer. Kara nodded with a laugh, and finally left the building.

Thankfully, the sun was shining bright over National City. Kara felt her body rejuvenate as she walked down the street to the coffee shop. It felt nice to walk amongst the other civilians without any hefty gear on her body, and without anything covering her face. With her glasses on and her hair pulled back, she was just Kara Danvers.

“Shit! I am so sorry!” A brunette woman yelped as she walked straight into Kara. They were just outside of the coffee shop, and the woman had dropped her bag of bagels on the ground.  
“It’s okay!” Kara exclaimed as she bent down to help the woman gather her things. 

“I’m already late and now I have no breakfast and-” the woman cut herself off with a sigh as she tried to brush her hair back out of her face. “I’m sorry, again. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

“Where are you headed? I can help you.” Kara asked the woman. 

“The L-Corp building. It’s not far, but my car wouldn’t start this morning and I couldn’t find my wallet anywhere, so I just spent the last of my spare change from my coat pocket on the bagels that are now on the ground.” The woman explained, getting more flustered as she ran through the course of events.

Kara quickly hailed a taxi, pulling out her wallet to pay for the woman’s ride. She asked the driver to wait a moment while she walked into the coffee shop and bought a fresh bagel. “Here,” she said as she handed the bag to the woman.

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you so much-” she waited for Kara’s name.

“Kara! Kara Danvers!” She said holding her hand out for the woman to shake.

“Samantha Arias.” The woman responded, taking Kara’s hand briefly. 

Kara watched Sam get into the taxi, and Sam mouthed a “thank you” through the window as the driver drove off. She felt good as she walked back into the coffee shop, Sam’s words ringing in her ears as she ordered. For the first time in her life, Kara had been called a lifesaver, and it wasn’t even for her acts of heroism. 

She rode the high of Sam’s compliment on her way back to the D.E.O, and was only distracted by her phone ringing. Lena’s name showed up across the caller ID and she smiled.

“Lena, hey!” Kara said into the phone. 

“I heard you saved my best friend a lot of trouble this morning.” Lena responded.

“What do you mean?” Kara asked.

“Sam Arias- she’s a good friend of mine. We had a meeting this morning.” Lena clarified.

“Oh! Yes, she said she was headed to L-Corp. I didn’t ask what for.” Kara noted. 

“Actually, it indirectly had to do with you.” Lena said, leaving Kara with more questions for a moment. “I bought CatCo this morning. Sam is going to help me share responsibilities between L-Corp and CatCo.”

“You what?” Kara gasped.  
“I bought CatCo.” Lena repeated “Cat Grant was looking for offers, so that she could enter early retirement. I figured I would make the investment. And- it just so happens that my friend might be wanting her job back.” Lena said, her tone warm.

“Lena, wow. I don’t know what to say.” Kara said, completely shocked.

“How about you start with a ‘yes’ for taking your job back?” Lena laughed.

“Of course, absolutely! Wow, yes. What about Snapper?” Kara asked, remembering the man had no interest in working with her.

“As of this morning, he is no longer an employee for CatCo.” Lena replied firmly.

“Will you be free in about 30 minutes?” was all Kara answered with.

“For you, always.” Lena said before ending the call.

Kara walked into the D.E.O practically floating with happiness. She passed out the coffees to the agents, and delivered Winn his donut before looking for her sister. She found Alex in the lab looking over reports, making edits to her work.

“Alex, you’ll never believe what just happened.” Kara said all in one breath.

“What I do know is it better make up for how dreadfully long it took you to bring me my coffee.” Alex said, taking the cup out of Kara’s hand.

“Ugh, yes. I met this woman who was apparently late for a meeting with Lena and I helped her get a ride to the L-Corp building, but what I didn’t know was that she was meeting with Lena because Lena decided to buy CatCo from Cat Grant. And- she offered me my job back!” Kara quickly explained.

“Definitely worth the wait for the coffee. That’s amazing Kara!” Alex said, hugging her sister. 

“I actually need to go, now, Lena’s expecting me soon.” Kara added as she pulled back from the hug.

“I want full details when I get home later.” Alex called after Kara as she walked out from the room.

“You’ll be the first to hear.” Kara called back.


End file.
